In partnership with the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, Access to Opportunities is a multidisciplinary initiative that provides research on how transportation connects people to economic opportunities and social participation. Access to opportunity refers to the specific role that transportation plays in helping people reach essential destinations — in jobs, healthcare, and education. Because transportation resources are inequitable in their distribution among people and neighborhoods, many people face disparities in access that hinders their outcomes in life. This research initiative seeks to create a greater understanding of this concept, how it’s determined, and most importantly, what can be done to increase access to opportunity, especially among underserved populations.

LEAD SCHOLAR

Evelyn Blumenberg
Director of Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies / Professor of Urban Planning

Spotlight

2024-03-26T12:34:40-07:00

Ride-hail Revolution: Ride-hail Travel and Access in Los Angeles

Ride-hail services such as Uber and Lyft have revolutionized how people access cars. But research into where they travel and who they serve has been limited. For her doctoral dissertation, Anne Brown analyzed trip-level data to measure access across race, ethnicity and gender.

In the News

Transportopia

Transportopia Episode 6 Transit Crime and Safety

October 22, 2025

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CNN

Why it’s so hard to keep America’s public transit riders safe

September 14, 2025

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Bloomberg

For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets

August 12, 2025

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Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Why We Need ‘Universal Basic Mobility’

June 26, 2025

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Journal Articles

Sexual Harassment and Assault in Transit Environments: A Review of the English-language Literature

Hao Ding, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Asha Weinstein Agrawal

Journal of Planning Literature, 2020

The Poverty of the Carless: Toward Universal Auto Access

David A. King, Michael J. Smart, Michael Manville

Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2019

Low-Income Workers, Residential Location, and the Changing Commute in the United States

Evelyn Blumenberg, Hannah King

Built Environment, 2019

Physical Accessibility and Employment among Older Adults in California

Evelyn Blumenberg, Andrew Schouten, Miriam Pinski, and Martin Wachs

Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2019

Faculty Projects

Student Projects

Mapping Equity: A Geospatial Evaluation of the Accessibility and Quality of Transportation Infrastructure in Oakland, CA
Laura Yau

Client: Oakland Department of Transportation

Los Angeles County Joint Development Policy
Luis R Garcia Chavez

Client: Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors District 3

Aligning Social Service Benefits and Transportation Access in Los Angeles County
Veronica De Santos Quezada

Client: UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Scholars

Study transportation at the #1 public university

Transportation-related degrees at UCLA

Master of Public Policy in Transportation

Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering in Transportation

Master of Urban and Regional Planning in Transportation

Master’s in Civil Engineering in Transportation

Ph.D. Urban Planning in Transportation

Ph.D. Civil Engineering in Transportation

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